Kevin Myatt is The Roanoke Times' weather columnist.

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The National Weather Service considers three municipalities in the Blacksburg office's forecast area as "StormReady."

Giles County, Rockbridge County and the city of Bedford have met the criteria for the weather service's StormReady program.

Phil Hysell, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, said there are five criteria that must be met for a community to be declared StormReady:

n Develop a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center.

n Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and alert the public (number of ways needed depends on population).

n Develop a system that monitors weather conditions locally.

n Promote public readiness through community presentations and seminars.

n Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, including emergency exercises and training for severe weather spotters.

Hysell said being dubbed a StormReady community has several benefits, such as improving the timeliness and effectiveness of weather warnings for the public, providing a means to acquire Community Rating System points assigned by the National Flood Insurance Program, recognition for communities and programs that have achieved a desired performance level, and helping ensure that a community is prepared for other nonweather emergencies.

For more information on StormReady communities, visit the Web at www.storm ready.noaa.gov.

Weather Journal appears on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.